NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 32 conference tournaments for 2018-19

With Championship Week 2019 for NCAA Basketball starting this Monday, how do the conference tournaments stack up against  each other?

College basketball teams from all over the country have spent all season preparing for March. Now, 32 bids to the NCAA Tournament will be put on the line, and teams will have one opportunity to lock themselves in to the Big Dance.

With so many games played in such a short period, it is impossible to catch them all. This yearly list from Busting Brackets attempts to rank the conference tournaments by intrigue, excitement and tournament implications.

Remember, this is a subjective list, so just because a conference ranks lower on the list does not mean that fans of that conference should skip it. In addition, there really isn’t any other sport worth watching during these two weeks, so make sure you try to at least catch the championship games of each tournament.

So, let’s just jump right in and discuss which conference tournaments are worth the time to watch.

Don’t Worry About These Ones

There are two conferences every year that take the term “cellar dweller” quite seriously, with a vast majority boasting losing records after serving as punching bags for the nation’s top teams. While they may be fun to watch for the sheer love of the game of college basketball, they just aren’t worth skipping a mid-tier game in another conference tournament.

32) Southwestern Athletic Conference (March 12, 15-16)

The SWAC may not be the worst conference in the country, but it is certainly close. With Texas Southern looking like the favorite to win the automatic bid for the fifth time in six years, this is by far the least intriguing tournament of the season. Texas Southern is always fun to talk about come March, but let’s not get too overly excited. No team from the SWAC is going to win more than possibly a game in Dayton.

Even fans of the SWAC should probably only watch if they support Texas Southern or Prairie View A&M, beyond that, no team has shown the consistency needed to win a conference tournament. The championship could possibly be fun to watch, but other than that, the SWAC Tournament is not worth the time or energy.

31) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (March 11-16)

“Boasting” the lowest average NET rankings in the country, the MEAC is also the only conference without a top-250 team. However, unlike the SWAC Tournament, the MEAC tournament will most likely have no overwhelming favorite to win, and should see a few more competitive matchups. However, with so many top conferences hosting tournaments in the second week, the MEAC Tournament should be the last choice for most fans.

If you are watching a blowout, really tired of commercials, or just want to see what is happening in Norfolk; fire up your computer and watch it online. Whoever wins the bid probably won’t make it out of Dayton, and if they do they will be an easy feast for their 1-seeded opponent.

You’ve been warned. Do not waste precious TV time watching this tournament!